Thomas Hurst – FlaLawhttps://www.law.ufl.edu/flalaw
University of Florida Levin College of LawMon, 22 Feb 2016 20:06:23 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7Faculty scholarship and activitieshttps://www.law.ufl.edu/flalaw/2010/10/faculty-scholarship-and-activities-2/
Mon, 18 Oct 2010 15:18:23 +0000http://www.law.ufl.edu/wpflalaw/?p=3231Jeffrey Davis Professor“Southwest Florida bankruptcy filings expected to keep climbing” (Oct. 10, 2010, The News-Press) Bankruptcy filings have been on the rise in Southwest Florida for the past five years and there is no indication that they will decline in the near future.From the article:
Jeffrey Davis, professor of law at the University of Florida, Gainesville, said businesses in tough financial seas still should try approaching creditors for modified payment schedules. He acknowledged these concessions are tougher to get these days: “In this economy, everyone around you is struggling,” Davis said, adding, “Some aren’t going to make it.”

A new ad from Alex Sink’s gubernatorial campaign points out that GOP candidate Rick Scott invoked his Fifth Amendment right 75 times in a deposition regarding fraud allegations aimed at his hospital chain, Columbia/HCA.

From the article:
“The Fifth Amendment is not a shield against fishing expeditions,” said Nancy Dowd, a UF Levin College of Law professor. “If you want to cloak yourself in the protection of the Fifth Amendment, it has to be for the reason that your answer could result in criminal liability.”

Drake discussed intimate partner violence crimes as well as the new Intimate Partner Violence Asisstance Clinic – of which she is the director – in this TV 20 spotlight.

Thomas Hurst Professor Emeritus and Sam T. Dell Research ScholarHurst presented a paper entitled “The Use of Clawbacks to Recoup Excessive Executive Compensation After the Worldwide Financial Crisis” at the Cambridge Symposium on Economic Crime at Jesus College, Cambridge University in September.

State Rep. Kevin Ambler filed a lawsuit seeking to disqualify Hillsborough County Commissioner Jim Norman for running for state senate and remove him from the November ballot. The lawsuit claims Norman failed to report a house in Arkansas owned by his wife, mostly paid for by a former friend and political supporter.

From the article:
State law says disqualification is an appropriate penalty if a candidate deliberately fails to list assets on state financial disclosure forms, said Clifford Alan Jones, a professor at the University of Florida law school.

“But it is not clear to me if a court would order (disqualification) prior to completion of an Ethics Commission hearing,” Jones said.

Mazur commented on the recent federal court rulings regarding the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and the previous court cases they cited in their decisions.

From the article:
“Although these Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell cases are not criminal prosecutions, not sodomy prosecutions, the courts in both Witt and Log Cabin said, ‘We’re still talking about the same constitutional liberty,’ ” said Diane Mazur, a professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and legal co-director of the Palm Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara, which focuses on military issues including Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

Last week a federal judge issued an injunction to stop the enforcement of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, to be effective immediately. Mazur commented on the president’s position on the issue.

From the article:
“The president has taken a very consistent position here, and that is: ‘Look, I will not use my discretion in any way that will step on Congress’ ability to be the sole decider about this policy here,’ ” said Diane H. Mazur, legal co-director of the Palm Center, a think tank at the University of California at Santa Barbara that supports a repeal.

Mazur was quoted in AP’s “Quotations of the day.” “The whole thing has become a giant game of hot potato. There isn’t anyone who wants to be responsible, it seems, for actually ending this policy. The potato has been passed around so many times that I think the grown-up in the room is going to be the federal courts.” – Diane H. Mazur, a legal expert at a think tank at the University of California at Santa Barbara in comments after a federal judge ordered the military to immediately stop enforcing its ban on openly gay troops.

A UF researcher has been the target of animal rights activists because of a connection to research done relating to experimentation on primates. A website has been created with the researcher’s address and a picture of his home on it and protests have been planned in Gainesville and in the researcher’s neighborhood in the future. The approach indicates a shift in animal rights activists’ tactics, focusing on individuals involved or related to research rather than the larger entities who sponsor it. Currently the situation appears to be a protest rather than a threat, according to UF police.

From the article:
The courts typically have given wide latitude to free-speech rights in such cases, said UF law professor Jon Mills, who wrote a recent book on privacy. But he said a civil case is possible if someone is being slandered with false information, and other legal action also could be taken in the case of a threat. “People can say a lot of things online if it falls short of actual slander, but one thing that the courts get nervous about is if they say or imply actual threats,” he said.

With six proposed changes in the Florida Constitution on the November ballot, Mills addressed the issue of Florida Supreme Court’s language standards that can sometimes make the wording of amendments confusing to some voters.

From the article:
“The language has to be less than 75 words and explanatory of everything (the amendment) does and be approved by the Supreme Court,” said Jon Mills, a University of Florida law professor. If it’s not in the title, “it would be considered deceptive. The Supreme Court has taken several initiatives off the ballot for being misleading,” he said. Nonetheless, initiatives and constitutional amendments are one of the people’s rights and one that should be taken seriously, Mills said. “They are there permanently,” Mills said. “Putting something in the constitution is hard, and getting it out is even harder.”

]]>Entertainment and Sports Law Symposium draws industry leadershttps://www.law.ufl.edu/flalaw/2009/01/entertainment-and-sports-law-symposium-draws-industry-leaders/
Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:08:26 +0000http://www.law.ufl.edu/flalaw/?p=5646The Second Annual Entertainment and Sports Law Symposium will bring together some of the best and brightest minds in the world of sports to the University of Florida Levin College of Law on Jan. 23.

The event kicks off at 11 a.m. with a discussion on recruiting, moderated by Professor Thomas Hurst followed by a panel on negotiation. The last two discussions will be on labor issues and the future of sports business, each moderated by UF Law Professors Nick Ohanesian and Jeffrey Harrison. Speakers will include sports law professors at various U.S. legal institutions, sports and marketing agents at top sports and talent agencies, public relations professionals and top wealth advisors.

Keynote speaker, Kevin Sullivan, was appointed by President George W. Bush as assistant to the President for Communications on July 11, 2006. In this position, he oversees White House message development and communications planning.

Previously, Sullivan served as assistant secretary for communications & outreach at the U.S. Department of Education, beginning in May 2005 and receiving Senate confirmation in July 2005. Before joining the Administration, Sullivan was senior vice president for corporate communications & media relations at NBC Universal, where he aligned strategic communications planning across the company’s many divisions and cable networks.

From Feb. 2000 to Oct. 2004, Sullivan served as vice president for communications at NBC Sports. In this role, he led NBC’s communications efforts for three Olympic Games and for properties such as the U.S. Open, PGA Tour and Ryder Cup; the National Basketball Association (NBA); Major League Baseball; NASCAR; Wimbledon; Notre Dame football; and horse racing’s Triple Crown.

Prior to NBC Sports, Sullivan worked for the Dallas Mavericks, where he was regarded one of the NBA’s top public relations executives. Sullivan joined the Mavericks at the inception of the franchise and spent 18 years with the organization, advancing to become vice president of communications, a role which included responsibility for the team’s charity foundation and radio and television broadcasts.

Sullivan won’t be the only expert speaking at the symposium. Bill Rasmussen, founder of ESPN and recently, the College Fanz Sports Network, will give the closing remarks at the symposium this year.

Bill Rasmussen and his team launched College Fanz Sports Network 28 years to the day after launching his most famous earlier creation, ESPN.

He has been called “The Father of Cable Sports” by USA Today (Sept. 1994). Rasmussen’s entrepreneurial daring led to the world’s first 24-hour cable television network, ESPN, where he pioneered such innovations as “SportsCenter,” wall-to-wall coverage of NCAA regular season and “March Madness” basketball, and NFL draft coverage.

Rasmussen was named to The Sports 100, honoring the 100 most important people in American Sports History. His place in sports history was recognized by Sports Illustrated in 1994 when he was honored as one of the “Forty for the Ages,” one of 40 individuals who has significantly altered and elevated the world of sport during the second half of the 20th century.

The symposium serves as an excellent opportunity for students to network and learn from those in the sports profession. The symposium is free and all are welcome.